The Rogue
by ShadoutCarver
Summary: Morgan hunts dangerous prey
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: belongs to Jim Butcher and Scifi channel.  
Rating: PG  
Book or TV verse: TV with some bits of bookverse  
Warnings: Language  
Summary: Morgan hunts dangerous prey

---

Carla was never really sure why she and her friends decided to break into the abandoned office building. She forgot who had first proposed the idea. The 5 couples had been drinking beer and eating pizza at a pub far away from the University of Maryland campus, taking a break from their normal frantic senior year schedules to enjoy the late fall evening. One thing she did know: she was the last one left alive.

Tommy found a door he could open with a little 'persuasion' and they all tiptoed in, the girls stifling giggles as the guys tried to spook them. When they got to the second floor her world changed forever.

Carla didn't see much, really. She was the last one up the stairs and only had a few seconds to see what happened. The man was in a circle of lit candles chanting. He was freakishly tall, had mostly iron gray hair and was wearing dark clothes. He carried a thin wooden staff that looked five feet tall. It was glowing. Strange dark symbols showed dark against the inner glow. Her friends were giggling and laughing at the man. Carla had just enough time to see a photograph in the center of the circle of candles when he started to kill her friends. An outthrust arm, strange words spat in a low growl, and a small ball of red light killed Tommy in an instant.

All was screaming and confusion and running then. They pelted down the stairs and out into the street but the deadly red balls of energy only followed them. Each followed one specific person. No matter how many turns they took, how many buildings they cut through, Carla and her boyfriend Jed could not loose the hellish thing. It finally caught Jed. Carla screamed but it was too late, Jed careened lifelessly into an electrical pole.

Carla did not know why a deadly monomaniacal light ball had not followed her. Perhaps the man hadn't seen her. She had seen him though. She had seen the familiar photograph of the African head of state that was in town to meet the president and attend a formal White House dinner. It had been in the paper and on television news for a week. Carla had a very bad feeling she knew what the man in the abandoned building was up to, impossible as it was.

She ran. She hit the Wheaton Metro station running through the tunnel and hurrying down the long escalator, scattering tourists dense enough to be standing to the left. The red line would take her into the district and – most importantly – to Union Station. She could not stay in the DC/Baltimore area. She could not go home to Nebraska. New York would be a good city to loose herself in. She purchased three tickets on her credit card: one for Miami, one for Boston and one for the next train to New York. Regional service was slower than the Acela, it was also more anonymous.

As the train crawled towards New York, Carla tried her friends' cell phone numbers. No one answered. When she got off the train at Penn station the first thing she did was to charge two more tickets to her credit card. One to Cincinati, Ohio and one to Bangor, Maine. She always had enjoyed Stephen King. She wouldn't mind seeing Bangor, but she would not be using these tickets.

As she emerged into the New York streets she tried to plan her next moves. She needed money, a place to stay, and a new identity. She didn't think the man knew her name, but he could kill with a few words and the wave of the hand. She wasn't going to assume he couldn't find out. She did use her ATM card several times. She needed to build her cash reserves. She knew it was risky but she didn't know what else to do.

The next day, she read in the newspaper about the unfortunate death a visiting dignitary in DC. The man had simply dropped dead at a White House dinner. The photograph in the story was the same familiar one she had seen in the circle of candles. Carla shuddered. With all the protection this man had he was still stone cold dead.

In a creepy cheap hotel room Carla tried to get at least one of her friends on her cell phone. She got nothing but voicemail – until she called Linda. Carla knew the dark low voice that answered instantly and it paralyzed her. Literally. He made suggestions; "don't hang up," and "tell me where you are." Before she knew it she had told him she was in New York. With an effort of will Carla never believed possible she hung up. Now she was close to mindless panic.

Ditch the phone, get out of town. Now.

She ran from the hotel room, tossing the phone in a trash can two blocks away. She withdrew her limit in cash using her ATM card. On the subway, she wrote her pin number on the card. She left it behind her in the car. She took a taxi to the nearest airport, chose an airline at random, and using cash purchased a ticket on the first flight that didn't go to National, Dulles or BWI.

She was going to Chicago.

---

Morgan had his sword to Harry Dresden's throat. This wasn't an unusual thing for the head of the Chicago Wardens to be doing, really. Dresden was, of course, protesting his innocence.

"I don't summon demons, Morgan.

"Except the Hellspawn."

Dresden's shoulders drooped.

"Okay, one. I didn't summon THIS one."

Hrothbert of Bainbridge emerged in a swirl of smoke from his skull and chimed in lazily.

"Really, Morgan, even if Harry were stupid enough to summon a demon into the High Council Headquarters, he's not nearly powerful enough to call a demon strong enough to overcome your wards."

Dresden rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Bob."

"Anytime."

Morgan lifted the tip of his sword a little, forcing Dresden's chin up.

"If I find out – "

"FREEZE!" the command came from behind him. Morgan hadn't even heard the door open. Both Morgan and Dresden froze, the ghost backed and disappeared into a wall before he could be seen.

"Put down that … sword, now." It was Dresden's police friend, Lieutenant Murphy.

Morgan mulled over what to do. Dresden was mouthing something, a soft whisper at him, pleading.

"Please, please don't hurt her, Morgan, please."

The Warden sighed and slowly held out his arms, holding his sword pointed down. He felt Murphy take it, then he felt the handcuffs. He let her cuff him. He might as well let himself be taken to the police station. It was close to the High Council HQ and he could use the ride.

Dresden was still desperate.

"Murph, you can't… you don't know… don't –"

"Shut up, Harry," Murphy said as she awkwardly juggled Morgan's sword and kept one hand on Morgan's arm to steer him back to the office storefront. "Unless you want to explain exactly what is going on here."

Morgan glared Dresden into silence.

"I didn't think so." The Lieutenant led Morgan down the narrow hallway connecting Dresden's office and tiny apartment. Dresden hovered nervously behind them.

"Murphy." Dresden sounded almost frantic. Morgan knew it wasn't on his behalf. He stopped and turned as far as Murphy allowed him to.

"Find out who did it, Dresden."

"Did what?" Murphy was glaring at both of them.

Dresden just nodded at Morgan and kept his eyes down, avoiding Murphy's glare.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: belongs to Jim Butcher and Scifi channel.  
Rating: PG  
TV with some bits of bookverse  
Warnings: Language  
Summary: Morgan hunts dangerous prey

---

Morgan and Murphy stared at each other from across the interrogation room table. One serene, the other frustrated. He could sense her frustration mounting and wished he could simply leave, but the laws were clear: civilians must remain ignorant of magic. He would just have to wait for a more opportune time to make his escape.

He hoped he would not have to erase part of her memory. He hated stealing parts of other's lives; plus it would alienate Dresden. The young man had a hard enough time keeping himself from the allure of black magic that had taken a beachhead in his life without having a Council Warden harming his closest friends.

The gunshots and screaming startled them both. He could feel the evil through the walls. Demon. The same one that had invaded the High Council and harmed one of his warden trainees. To hell with laws. He dropped the handcuff that held him to the table with a single thought, called his sword, and with a gesture opened the interrogation room door and exited just as his sword was close enough to snatch out of the air. Murphy yelped and followed him, ready to shoot him, no doubt.

Morgan barged into the interrogation room next door. His sword was alight as his will coursed into it. He saw one of Murphy's fellow officers finish emptying his gun into the huge monster from hell. Morgan had to admire the way the man stood steadily in between what must have been an unbelievable nightmare and the terrified young woman who stood in the corner screaming.

The demon batted the officer against the far wall hard with a negligent flip of one of his 5 hands. Morgan decapitated the creature. Gore coated the walls, the young woman, the officer and Lieutenant Murphy, who rushed to the stricken man.

"Kirmoni!" Murphy was kneeling beside the detective. He was not conscious. She yelled to the police flooding the room to call EMS. The gore and the demon's body melted into ectoplasm before disappearing as if it never existed. Morgan took advantage of the confusion to speak to the young woman.

"It was after you, wasn't it?"

She nodded, shivering.

"The hit man sent him. He killed that guy from Africa right in the White House. He killed all my friends because we saw him. Oh Gd, no one will believes me, that cop, he was making fun of me." She shuddered. "I hope he's ok."

Morgan felt a cold shiver rolling down his spine. A wizard assassin? This was worse than he thought. A lot worse. The man was powerful, and steeped in the black. The wizard had obviously assumed this young woman had come to the High Council first. That explained the demon in the Council building earlier. He would be hard to find and harder to kill. Capturing him was not an option. That was the law.

He held out his hand to the young woman.

"My name is Morgan. I believe you. Come with me, we will protect you." He hoped it was true.

"Carla." She said as she took his hand and they turned to leave. They made it to the stairwell. Lieutenant Murphy was there, just inside the door, her pistol in Morgan's face. She was good.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That." Murphy was one unhappy woman. Angry even. Carla hid behind Morgan.

Morgan closed the stairwell door and sighed deeply.

"Lieutenant – " he began and she nearly growled.

"You are still under arrest, and now I can add escape and kidnapping charges. I can probably get away with charging you for the assault on Kirmani. Don't lieutenant me. Spill. Now"

"This is not for your laws. You can do nothing. This man is deeply dangerous. He's a paid assassin who uses black magic to kill. Many people are already dead. He will not stop until he has killed this young woman; just because he thinks she saw him. "

"That's what I've been trying to tell you people" Carla accused, her voice high.

This matter is for us to handle. Our world. Our laws." Morgan continued.

Murphy seemed on the edge of loosing control herself.

"Your laws, your world. Harry's world." she snorted "and what are you? A 'cop'?" sarcasm was dripping from her – and fear. Morgan knew the feeling.

He half smiled at Murphy.

"I am the Chief of Police."

Murphy exhaled a long suffering sigh, and holstered her weapon.

"I'll show you the back way out."

---

It was nearly dark by the time Morgan escorted Carla toward the High Council's headquarters, A complex of several buildings in downtown Chicago which were camouflaged by their ordinariness. They were almost to the main building when Carla pulled him into a coffeehouse door.

"That's him." She hissed. "What are you guys, do you work for him?" She was terrified, her eyes huge. She was backing up, ready to run.

Morgan let go of her.

"No I do not." He told her emphatically. "Can you point him out to me?"

They looked out the coffee shop windows, in between the red checkered half curtains.

"There, he's wearing the black clothes and that hat pulled down."

Morgan saw him. He did not know the man. He did know Ancient Mai, who was greeting the man warmly. Morgan felt fear begin to rise. What was the most powerful member of the High Council doing smiling and laughing with the murderous sorcerer? Or was Carla mistaken? One thing was clear, he could not drag this terrified young woman into meet them. He offered his hand to her again.

"Let me get you out of here, I know someplace else, someone who isn't part of the council, he can protect you while I find out what is going on."

She pondered this, shuddered a bit, then stood straighter and took his hand. Morgan was touched by Carla's trust. He swore he would not let her down.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: belongs to Jim Butcher and Scifi channel.  
Rating: PG  
Book or TV verse: TV with some bits of bookverse  
Warnings: Language. A tiny spoiler from the books (6 or 7 I think)  
Summary: Morgan hunts dangerous prey

---

Fortunately Dresden was home. Morgan introduced Carla to him, and explained what was going on. Morgan counted on Dresden's weakness for women in distress.

"Set your wardings as strong as you can, and stay inside with her." He instructed. "Talk to her and find out as much as you can. I will return after I find out what is going on."

Dresden nodded, and led Carla deeper into his apartment, offering her tea. As soon as Morgan left, he felt the wards on the apartment go back up, stronger than he had ever felt them.

He turned and headed back to the Council to find out what was going on.

---

Ancient Mai and the stranger were in the lobby when Morgan returned.

"There you are." Mai said, reaching out to Morgan.

"I want you to meet Blackstaff Carter, he's visiting on his way to Oregon."

Morgan shook Carter's hand, and was promptly chilled to the bone. Carla was right. This man was a killer – A Blackstaff, the Council's Official … cleaners. Blackstaffs worked apart from normal restrictions on magic. They could even use black magic when they deemed it necessary.

A rogue Blackstaff. Morgan had never even considered such a nightmare. Extraordinary power and license, free of the Warden's oversight. This man was more dangerous than any Morgan had ever dreamed he would encounter. He pulled his hand back and gave a slight bow.

"It is an honor, Blackstaff Carter. If you will excuse me." He needed to get away from both of them, and find a way to consult council records for information on Carter, and perhaps his history with Ancient Mai. 

Morgan descended the stairs, headed for his private office. He closed the door behind him, but suddenly the Blackstaff was pushing in behind Morgan, wrapping him in the overwhelming grip of strong magical energy. Carter pushed Morgan up hard against a wall and threw his sword across the room. His low rumble was calculated to terrify and paralyze.

"You know where she is, I can smell her." He snarled.

Morgan nearly fainted. He had never been this frightened of any human. He felt the Blackstaff forcefully invade his mind; it was a brutal violation. He tried to free himself, tried to resist, but he was pinned to the wall both by Carter's hand on his throat and the bonds of the spell Carter had woven so around him so tightly that he could not breathe.

The Blackstaff sneered and asked: "Who is this Harry Dresden? Where can I find him?"

Morgan tried to think of anything else, but lack of oxygen and the human tendency to think of a white elephant when told not to gave the rogue Blackstaff everything he needed to know.

The pressure on Morgan's body constricted alarmingly. He felt bones crack before everything went dark.

---

"I'm alive." Morgan was surprised when he woke up.

He had been flung against the far wall. Carter must have thought he was dead. Morgan felt he had just experienced a miracle. He was in great deal of pain. He felt like every bone in his body had been broken and every corner of his mind viciously torn apart, but he was alive.

Ancient Mai was the close friend of a rogue Blackstaff. Morgan almost refused to accept this. He had to get out of here, without anyone seeing him. He didn't dare trust anyone on the council, not even his wardens. He had to get to Dresden's and try to save both the girl and Dresden.

He retrieved his sword from where it had been thrown and using it as a cane headed out his emergency bolt hole.

---

Murphy opened the door of her home and gasped. Morgan was more or less standing on her porch, swaying on his feet. She helped him inside and led him to lie down her couch.

"I found him." Morgan tried to say brightly. His wry grin turned into a grimace.

"Really, no kidding?" Murphy responded in kind. "I hope he's worse off." she knew that was not the case.

Morgan groaned.

"He is headed for Dresden's place, I took Carla there."

Murphy's blood drained from her face.

"You said you're the 'chief of police'. Can't you send people to stop him? Why are you here?"

Morgan groaned again.

"I can't trust them." he admitted. "The man is..." Morgan hesitated. His aversion to giving information to civilians was deeply ingrained. 

"This man is known to the council. He has friends in high places. He is … " Morgan fumbled with a way to explain without revealing too much. "he works for the council, doing … distasteful jobs."

Murphy backed away from him, anger flashing.

"My police station was invaded; my partner is in the hospital- all because one of your associates is trying to kill a witness?"

Morgan was almost more afraid of her at that moment than he had been of Blackstaff Carter. She was reaching for her holster.Morgan put out a hand up in a defensive gesture and she wrapped a cuff around his wrist.

"Please, lieutenant, I need your help. I must stop him." He hesitated then looked her in the eye and held the look until the soulgaze kicked in. The world stopped for both of them as he saw deeply into her soul and, more importantly at the moment, she saw into his. The soulgaze ended and time started again. Murphy gasped. Her eyes softened and the anger left her. Not for the first time Morgan wondered what others saw in him during a soulgaze.

She unlocked the cuff and stood up.

"Let me get you some painkiller, you can barely stand." Murphy moved around the house, she returned with ibuprofen and a glass of water for Morgan. She put on a shoulder holster with her pistol, and then shrugged into a coat.

"Lets go." she said.

---

Murphy drove. 

When they were a block from Dresden's apartment they nearly hit a running figure. Murphy stopped the car with a squeal of tires and a curse. Carla's pale face was frozen in the headlights, her eyes wide. She was carrying Dresden's most prized possession, the decorated skull.

"Carla!" Morgan shouted.

Murphy got out of the car and grabbed for Carla's hand.

"Get in the car," she told the frantic young woman "get down. Here are the keys." Murphy put her keys into Carla's hand and closed her fingers over them. " If you need to, take off without us." Murphy scribbled in the small notebook she kept in her jacket, tore the page out and handed it to Carla. "Here is an address you can go to and a number to call." The younger woman nodded and got into the driver's seat. Morgan climbed out of the car slowly. He spoke softly to Murphy so Carla wouldn't hear.

"If Dresden gave her that" he pointed to the skull "he doesn't expect to survive this fight." 

They both looked towards Dresden's apartment, the windows were dark. Morgan could feel the magical energies that were being emitted from the apartment like light even from this distance.

"Stay behind." he told Murphy. "If I don't come back, you need to protect Carla."

Murphy grabbed his jacket sleeve. "You can't do this alone, you're nearly dead on your feet" Murphy objected, "You stay with her to protect her."

Morgan shook his head.

"You aren't one of us, so you have a better chance of getting Carla somewhere safe."

He leaned in the window as if to speak to Carla.

"Bob, help them however you can."

Two confused women said "Huh?"

Lights flashed briefly in the skull's eye sockets, but neither woman noticed.

Morgan headed to enter the fight. He barged into Dresden's apartment, it was trashed. He saw Dresden writhing on the ground, still hanging on to his hockey stick. Carter was so focused on torturing Dresden that he did not sense Morgan entering.

The warden didn't hesitate for a second. He put all his remaining strength and will through the sword and struck out at Carter. The startled Blackstaff was blown to his knees, howling in pain and rage, giving Dresden a chance to scramble backwards into the narrow hallway between his office and the apartment.

Morgan dove for cover. He was nearly done in. Dresden hurled his last weak blast and dropped the hockey stick as he fell to the floor. Morgan raised his sword, preparing to attack Carter the old fashioned way. Carter waved a hand casually and threw Morgan hard against the ceiling; the warden fell to the floor. His head barely missed his own sword.

Two loud blasts interrupted Carter's laughter. There was silence and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Morgan made a fruitless attempt to haul himself up. Harry was leaning against the hallway wall. 

Blackstaff Carter was on the ground, a spray of blood coated him and everything near him. Judging by the mess of blood and bone his chest had become, Morgan was fairly certain the evil rogue was dead.

Murphy stood in the doorway, holding a smoking double barreled shotgun pointed upward with its butt on her hip.

"You people are hopeless." she said, taking in the carnage of the apartment.

Morgan decided that this was a good a time as any to loose consciousness.


	4. Epilogue

Disclaimer: belongs to Jim Butcher and Scifi channel.  
Rating: PG  
Book or TV verse: TV with some bits of bookverse  
Warnings: Language  
Summary: Morgan hunts dangerous prey

---  
Coldness. Morgan woke on Dresden's couch, with a ghost's hand inside his chest. The cold made him shiver.

"You need a healer or a doctor, as soon as possible. I don't know how you managed to walk in here." Bob told him.

"Later. Where are Murphy and Carla?" Morgan asked.

"Murph took her, I told her to get the kid a new identity, and hide her where none of us can find her" Dresden said, looming above Morgan from behind the couch. Dresden looked disheveled. Well, that was normal anyway.

Morgan sat up and looked at the chaos around him. The body of the Blackstaff was gone, the blood was gone. He didn't want to know.

He rose shakily to his feet. Grabbing his sword and using it for support again. He briefly wished he had chosen a staff instead of a sword as a conduit for his magic.

"I have to report this to Mai." and was he dreading THAT conversation.

"You can't do that, Morgan, she'll kill you."

"Why Dresden, I didn't know you cared. I'm touched."

"Oh good, dry sarcasm, I guess we're feeling better, Morgan. Morgan? Morgan?"

Morgan had vanished from the apartment.

"I hate it when he does that. " Dresden muttered as he made a start at cleaning the mess.

Morgan left, unseen.

---

He was ushered into Ancient Mai's quarters immediately.

He gave her a slightly edited version of the events leading up to Blackstaff Carter's death. Morgan didn't mention Murphy, or refer to Carla by name. He told Mai of how deeply entrenched in black magic Carter had become. How he sold his services for gain as an assassin. How he killed with black magic, and destroyed civilian witnesses who were little older than children. How he believed Carter had summoned the demon that had invaded both High Council headquarters and a police station.

Ancient Mai did not want to believe him. She shook her head in vehement denial.

"I killed him." he told her. "I had to."

Fury took Ancient Mai in an instant.

"No. No. I do not believe you. Carter would never turn. Never! You killed a Blackstaff of the High Council, using magic, no doubt.

Morgan nodded slightly.

Ancient Mai's mask altered, Morgan saw a brief glimpse a more reptilian face and eyes before Mai regained control and was once again a young beautiful woman – the image she'd been choosing to wear for the past few months.

Anger often made her face slip.

"Give me your sword, Warden" she ordered him coldly.

Morgan complied, He handed his sword to her hilt first. He stood straight and met her gaze evenly as she brought the blade up to touch his neck. He did not take his eyes from her's. There was no risk of a soulgaze. That only happened between a wizard and another human.

She drew back to strike then swung the sword almost faster than he could see. She stopped just before the blade touched the skin of his throat. He didn't flinch, or even tense up.

The fury suddenly fled her.

"So, it's true." her eyes closed. "How could it happen? I've known him all his life. His mother was my close friend" Mai's tone was subdued.

"I'm sorry, Mai"

She frowned at him, concern now on her face. She began shouting for healers moments before he collapsed face first into her. She caught him and picked him up as effortlessly as if he were a small child and carried him to a nearby bench. He felt her strange inhuman magic reaching into him, taking his pain away, beginning the healing process and stealing his consciousness.

"Sleep, Morgan. Close your eyes and rest. You have done well." Ancient Mai said softly.

He obeyed her. He always did.


End file.
